


Here’s To Crutchie

by jackkellys



Series: Fall(ing) For You [4]
Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Canon Era, Crutchie is strong, Other, crutchie can be sad, hc that Crutchie is younger than jack, no ableist slurs but it’s implied, this whole story revolves around crutchie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-05
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2019-07-25 11:23:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16196552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackkellys/pseuds/jackkellys
Summary: Crutchie is much more than his bad leg.





	Here’s To Crutchie

**Author's Note:**

> I can’t draw but really wanted to do Newsiestober so I figured I could write bc i’m okay at it? also, i’ll post days one-three on Friday. So, here’s day four: Crutchie

Although he was nearing fifteen, Crutchie could pass as younger which sold papes better and a lot faster. His bad leg helped, of course. It pulled on the heart strings of older woman and sometimes it worked on the old men. It mostly worked on mothers who were passing by with their "perfectly able" kid.

Crutchie usually ignored the looks of pity people gave him when he limped to his selling spot, it just made people feel like they had to buy from him. He always ignored the slurs and insults hurled at him when he slowed the crowd because he couldn't move out of the way in time.

Although, sometimes he did mind. Sometimes he got frustrated with the people pushing him and calling him names. Sometimes he got frustrated at the looks of pity he was given. Crutchie was much more than his bad leg.

And sometimes Crutchie got frustrated with his friends and their teasing, even though he knew it was harmless fun.

"Crutchie, what's your leg say?"

He was sick of the joke but he played along, "Eh...no rain...oh! Partly cloudy, clear by evenin'."

"Ha! And the limp sells fifty papes a week, all by itself!"

"I don't need the limp to sell papes," Crutchie would say jokingly, but sometimes he wished everyone would understand that it was really true, "I got personality."

Somehow, a bad leg suddenly means innocent. Crutchie can tell just as dirty of jokes as Race and Mush can.

Somehow, a bad leg means an unhealthy amount of optimism. Crutchie was often called "sunshine" by Jack and the other newsies. He didn't mind, he was glad that people could go to him for cheering up, he just wished his friends knew that sometimes he needs cheering up. Crutchie gets just as defeated as the rest, just as sad, just as tired. Just because he’s smiling doesn’t mean he’s okay.

His leg hurts like hell sometimes, but he never once complained. He goes about his day being the support for everyone else. Sometimes he can barely walk but no one stops to check on him. Some days his arm hurts from his crutch and he just wants to throw the thing off the Brooklyn Bridge, but he doesn’t complain.

Crutchie isn’t weak, no matter what his appearance might make people think. He doesn’t need to be carried, although sometimes it is nice, he doesn’t need help carrying his papes or climbing the ladder to the penthouse.

“You don’t think I’m weak, do you?” Crutchie asks Jack one night as they lay in the penthouse.

“Of course not,” Jack says.

“You think I could take the Delancey’s in a fight?”

“Now you’se talkin’ crazy, Crutch,” Jack retorts and Crutchie sighs. “Why do you wanna know?”

“No reason,” Crutchie shrugs.

“Crutchie…” Jack says.

“They just been callin’ me names and stuff,” Crutchie shrugs.

“Why didn’t you say nothing?” Jack nearly yells. 

“Because I can handle it myself,” Crutchie says. “I don’t need no one to fight for me.”

“The thing is, Crutch,” Jack says, “We’re your friends, we’re supposed to fight for you.”

“You let Race fight his own battles,” Crutchie says.

“Not all the time,” Jack says.

“But most of the time,” Crutchie argues.

“What’s this all about?” Jack asks again.

“Well…sometimes you guys treat me like a little kid,” Crutchie mumbles.

“Huh?”

“You treat me as if I’m one of the younger newsies!”

“You are one of the younger newsies,” Jack laughs.

“I’m nearly fifteen!” Crutchie replies, “Only a year younger than you. I’m not ten.”

Jack sighs, “Crutch…”

“I can fight my own battles, too,” Crutchie tells him, “I can take care of myself. Just because of my bum leg—”

“Hey!” Jack interrupts, “No one thinks you can’t handle yourself because of your leg.”

“Then what’s the reason?” Crutchie asks.

Jack stumbles for a minute, unable to think of an answer.

“Exactly,” Crutchie says, “What I’m saying is, please stop treating me like a kid.”

“Okay,” Jack nods, “We will. I’ll talk to the others. Just, please don’t fight the Delancey’s by yourself?”

“…I have a weapon, Jack,” Crutchie tells him, patting his crutch, “Hit them with this and they might not be able to ever have babies.”

Jack gaped at him, before breaking out into a laugh. “Okay, Crutch. At least let us watch?”

“Of course.”

**Author's Note:**

> ik that i have two other series to work on but i really want to do newsiestober. you say i’m in love will still be updated on Tuesdays & the marriage series will be updated whenever. school hasn’t been to hectic yet (we just got back from break) so i’ll try to keep up on writing this.


End file.
